The present application is related to the protection of bearing components and gear assemblies from wear or oil oxidation, and in particular to the protection of such components and assemblies by containing a volume of controlled-release additive gel in operative proximity to the bearing components and gear assemblies.
Lubricant additive chemical technology is well known to improve the wear resistance of metallic surfaces. Similarly, anti-oxidant additives have been engineered to prolong the life of hydrocarbon lubricants by hindering oxidation reactions. The traditional approach for using these lubricant additives is to supply the additives with the initial lubrication as a full formulations. However, with this traditional approach, once the additives are depleted from the lubricant, they are not replenished until fresh lubricant is supplied. Furthermore, the additives are dispersed within the flow of lubricant through the entire lubrication system, and may not be present at sufficient quantity where needed, or may be depleted by reactions at non-critical or non-wear surfaces within the system.
Various mechanical systems which operate in conjunction with lubricant filters have been designed in an attempt to provide a uniform dispersion of additives into a volume of lubricant over time. These systems often include capsules, perforated sheets, baffles, or specially designed injectors for achieving a slow release of additive into a flow of lubricant passing through the lubrication filter. In alternate designs, a slow-release of lubricant additives within lubrication filters is achieved by incorporating additives into oil-soluble solid polymers such as thermoplastics, inert carriers, or oil-soluble gels. While these systems provide for a slow release of additives into the flow of lubricant passing through the lubrication filer, they ultimately fail to ensure that sufficient quantity of the additives are provided a critical locations or wear surfaces, due to the uniform dispersion of the additives within the flow of lubricant.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide lubricated surfaces such as those found in bearing components and gear assemblies, with a source of beneficial lubricant additives which can be released in a controlled manner in proximity to wear critical surfaces as required to minimize wear or oil oxidation during operation.